Sorry updates will be coming more slowly now. School has started back :(
Chapter Six
Fili shot down every single plan Kili came up with to push Bilbo and Thorin together, much to Kili's consternation.
True, some of his plans were probably not exactly doable (he really hadn't been sure how they were going to turn Thorin into a frog or he hadn't really liked the idea of giving his dad a poisoned apple). In hindsight, he could admit that maybe basing his plans on fairytales was probably a bad idea, but they were really the only experience he had with the whole love and kissing thing.
Fili's plan had been much simpler. "All we got to do is make sure they spend as much time as possible with each other," he had explained with a smirk. "Easiest way to do that is to make them bring us places together."
The plan was going well, as far as Kili could tell. He wasn't sure if Bilbo and Thorin were any closer to kissing, but they were spending lots of time together. The best part was all the places they were bringing him and Fili. They didn't even have to suggest going places anymore, which was great because Bilbo and Thorin knew about lots of fun places that Kili hadn't even known existed.
After Fili had asked for them to go to Coney Island together and Kili had asked to go the zoo, his dad had suggested a day at the aquarium. And then Fili's uncle had asked Kili and Bilbo if they wanted to go to the Museum of Natural History.
That had by far been Kili's favorite family outing (as he and Fili had taken to secretly calling them). There had been so much to see! Fili hadn't liked it as much, but he had been patient as he waited with Kili at each exhibit as he carefully read the information about each one and examined each aspect of them. He had been disappointed when they hadn't been able to get to see everything before the museum closed.
"It's my own fault," he had said to Fili fter his dad had told him they had to go. "I took too long looking at everything."
Fili had shrugged and slung an arm across his shoulders. "Cheer up, Kee. It's not like you're never gonna come back. And it's not a bad thing to want to learn everything you can about each exhibit."
His lips had twitched up into a smile at that before he began talking about the dinosaur exhibits they had seen, which he knew was one that Fili had actually liked.
Fili's favorite family outing had been seeing The Lion King on Broadway. Kili had liked it alright, but could have done without all the singing. Fili, though, was singing the songs to himself for a week after seeing it.
However, despite all their maneuvers to leave Bilbo and Thorin on their own for as much as possible, there had yet to be any kissing.
"What are we doing wrong?" Kili asked, pouting while hanging his head over the side of his bed.
Fili sitting on the floor and leaning back against the bed next to him, frowning down at Kili's Rubik's cube. He looked up at Kili's question. "Wrong with what?"
"With getting Dad and Thorin together!" he exclaimed as if it were obvious.
"You're trying to get your parents together?" Ori asked, looking up from the book he was reading. "Why?"
"Because they like each other," Kili answered. "And me and Fili want to live together."
"What have you been trying?"
"We've all been going places together," Fili replied. "And we've been having more dinners and movie nights. Kili and I try and leave them alone as much as possible. I think it's going okay," he said, turning to look at Kili. "After the first couple of times, we never had to ask for us all to go together. We just have. And your face is turning red. Turn over before you give yourself brain damage."
Kili rolled his eyes but did as Fili said, mostly because he was getting a little light-headed.
"Yeah, but you don't have to ask because they probably know that you two don't like to go anywhere without each other," Ori commented, closing his book and giving them an exasperated look. "And it's not they're likely to do anything with the two of you around. How would you even know if it's working?"
He hadn't thought of that. "You mean they might have kissed or something while we weren't looking?"
"How are we supposed to know then?" Fili asked.
"We could spy on them!" Kili cried enthusiastically.
Ori snorted before opening his book again. "I don't think you could be quiet enough to spy on people, Kili."
Fili laughed while Kili scowled. "I can be sneaky!" he protested.
"You really can't, Kee," Fili quipped with a chuckle.
Kili pouted before grinning mischievously. "Fine. If I can't be sneaky to figure it out, I'll just have to be more direct," he pronounced before traipsing out of the room.
"Wait, Kili, where are you going?" Fili called after him as both he and Ori scrambled after him, catching up with him as he exited the apartment.
"You'll see," he said with a smirk before leading them down to the bakery and back to the kitchen where Bilbo was baking. "Dad?"
Bilbo turned his head and smiled at the three of them as he pulled a cake pan out of the oven. "You three look like you're up to no good."
"Have you and Thorin been kissing?" Kili asked bluntly.
"Kili!" Fili and Ori cried in horror as Bilbo fumbled and dropped the cake pan in his hands. Luckily, the pan landed right-side-up with the cake intact.
"Um... Why... How...?"
"Well," he said, interrupting his dad's inarticulate response. "You both like each other, and me and Fili have been trying to give you time alone together so we were just wondering if it was working?"
Bilbo blinked at him with his mouth moving silently for a moment before huffing a laugh. "You two are something else," he said, shaking his head and bending to pick up the pan he dropped. "Honestly, what are Thorin and I going to do with you?"
"So have you?" Kili pressed, ignoring Fili elbowing him lightly in the side.
Bilbo sighed heavily. "Yes, we have," he admitted. Kili squealed while Ori cheered and Fili just smirked smugly. "We were both going to sit down and discuss it with the both of you to make sure you were okay with it, but it looks like that really isn't necessary now."
"So when are we all going to move in together?" Kili questioned with a grin.
His dad dropped the pan he was holding again. It clattered against the counter, narrowly missing falling off the edge. "I, uh, think that's something we will have to wait and see about."
Kili frowned. "How long will we have to wait? What are we waiting for?"
"Um, well, I guess we, uh…" Bilbo's eyes flickered behind him. "Ori, why don't you give me a moment alone these two?"
"Okay, Mr. Bilbo," Ori agreed. Bilbo waited until the door swung shut before he ushered Fili and Kili closer.
"Alright, boys," he said, dropping to one knee to talk to them. "What Thorin and I have is new, okay? Neither of us know if it'll lead anywhere, and it is nowhere near serious enough to be talking about moving in together. We just have to see where the relationship goes."
"But you like each other, right?" Kili asked.
"Well, I can't speak for Thorin," Bilbo began before Fili cut him off.
"Uncle Thorin really likes you," he informed helpfully.
Bilbo bit back a smile before shaking his head. "Well, I really like him, too," he stated, pink tinging his cheeks. "But it's still really early. Relationships take time to build."
"They don't in the movies," Kili replied doubtfully, causing his dad to laugh.
"Life isn't like a movie, Kili," he said, smile fading to a sober look. "Things don't always work out the way we want them to. I just don't want the two of you to be disappointed if things between Thorin and I don't work out."
"But you both like each other," Fili said, throwing a triumphant smirk at Kili and reassuring him that everything would be alright.
His dad didn't want to get his hopes up in case things didn't work out, Kili realized, but he always did that when Kili got excited over things that hadn't happened yet. He had done it when he had said he was going to find Fili for him, and look how that had turned out. Kili was absolutely sure that things would work out just the way he and Fili had wanted.
They just had to be a little patient. And that sucked, because Kili hated being patient.
Being patient got a little bit easier, though, as his tenth birthday drew closer.
He didn't think much about it at first. He knew that the date was getting closer, but he didn't expect much of a fuss. When he had lived at the home, Mr. West would gave all the boys a pudding cup after dinner on the night of their birthdays. When Fili had come, he had been extra nice to Kili on his birthday, letting him choose the games they played and letting him win. Kili didn't expect much more than a "happy birthday" and maybe a cupcake from his dad.
So when Bilbo asked him who he wanted to invite to his party while they were eating dinner with Thorin and Fili, he was stunned to say the least.
"What party?" he asked dumbly, looking at Fili to see if he had any idea what Bilbo was talking about. Fili just smiled back at him, though there was an oddly angry glint in his eyes.
"Your birthday party, Kili," Bilbo answered gently, sharing a pained look with Thorin for some reason.
"Oh," he said, realizing suddenly why everyone reacted weirdly to his question. They were angry that he had never had a birthday party before. Kili didn't care though. It wasn't like he had ever had anyone that he had wanted to have a party with before anyway.
"So who do you want there?" Bilbo asked again.
"Fili and Thorin," he answered immediately.
Fili rolled his eyes at that. "Well, duh, of course Pop and me are coming."
They had decided together after they found out about Bilbo and Thorin's relationship that they needed something to call Thorin instead of "Uncle." When they became a family and moved in together, they couldn't both call Bilbo "Dad" and then just call Thorin "Uncle." It wouldn't have been fair. So they decided that they'd call him "Pop." Fili had said that Thorin had looked very pleased at the new moniker.
Kili wondered what the two of them would think once Fili started calling Bilbo "Dad" and Kili called Thorin "Pop." He wasn't really sure if Thorin would appreciate it, but he knew that his dad would be happy.
"Who else do you want to invite?" his dad prompted.
Kili shrugged. "Who do people normally invite to birthday parties?"
"Well, normally you invite your family and friends," Bilbo answered patiently.
"Why don't you invite your friend Ori?" Thorin suggested.
"Yeah!" Kili agreed.
"Are there any friends at school you want to come as well?" Bilbo asked.
Kili shook his head. "Nope," he said happily, grabbing the ketchup and squirting some on his plate.
Bilbo and Thorin both frowned at that but didn't comment. Fili scowled and speared one of his potatoes a little too fiercely with his fork. Kili ignored the other boy, knowing he didn't like the fact that none of the other kids at school liked him. Kili didn't care.
After that, Kili couldn't wait for his birthday party. His actual birthday fell on a Thursday, but Bilbo had said that it would be better to have the party the Sunday after, which mean Kili was ten for three whole days before his party.
Not that he didn't have fun on his actual birthday. Thorin and Fili picked him up at the bakery and they went to see a movie before meeting Bilbo for dinner after the bakery closed. Then they had gone for ice cream.
It was really fun, but Kili was still anxious for Sunday.
When Sunday finally came, Kili was beyond excited. Unfortunately, the party was at two and Kili woke at nine, which meant he had five hours to wait. He tried to watch television or read or play with his toys, but nothing could hold his attention for too long. He would have gone to the kitchen to watch his dad cook for the party, but he had already been banished from that area from an exasperated Bilbo.
Luckily, Thorin and Fili came early for the party, arriving a little after noon and providing a much needed distraction for Kili.
"Has he drove you crazy yet?" Thorin asked Bilbo after Kili had grabbed Fili's hand and started dragging him towards his room. Kili knew he was talking about him, but didn't care.
His dad chuckled. "He's just a tiny bit excited."
Thankfully, Fili was able to keep him occupied until two. Kili hadn't even noticed it was time for the party until Ori showed up with his parents and grandfather.
"Happy birthday, Kili!" Mr. Bofur, one of Ori's dads, said with a grin. Kili beamed and thanked him. He liked Mr. Bofur. He was always very cheerful. Mr. Nori, Ori's other dad, smiled at him and handed him a brightly wrapped present.
Kili's eyes widened. "For me?"
"I'll take it and put it with the rest," Bilbo said, plucking the gift from Kili's loose grip. Kili's eyes widened further as he caught sight of the small stack of presents on the coffee table in the living room. "You can open them all after we have cake."
Kili hadn't realized he was going to get presents, especially not so many!
Bilbo shooed all three kids to the table and soon they were all eating the food Bilbo had been preparing all day. Kili stuffed his face as quickly as possible, wanting to get to the cake and ice cream.
"How's it feel to be ten now?" Ori asked curiously.
"I've been ten for three days now!" Kili crowed. "And it's great! I'm finally Fili's age!"
"Only for a couple more months!" Fili shot back, elbowing him playfully.
"Alright!" Bilbo cried finally. "Time for cake!"
Bilbo brought out a large round cake with blue frosting and ten lit candles. Kili's face hurt from smiling so much as everyone began singing "Happy Birthday." His dad set the cake down in front of him with a wink.
When the song ended, Bilbo cried out, "Now make a wish and blow out the candles!"
Kili thought hard about what he wanted to wish for. He caught Fili's eyes and grinned as he realized what he most wanted was for his family to always be together. He took a deep breath, wished hard, and blew, making sure not to miss on candle.
Everyone cheered. His dad grabbed a knife to cut the cake as he instructed Thorin to grab the ice cream out of the freezer. Kili got the first slice of cake, mouth watering as he realized the cake was chocolate, his favorite. Thorin put a scoop of chocolate ice cream on his plate as well. Kili beamed up at him.
"Thanks, Pop!" he exclaimed, turning to his ice cream and cake and not seeing how Thorin nearly dropped the tub of ice cream in surprise.
Once they were all finished with their cake, Kili raced to the presents in the living room, Fili and Ori hot on his heels as the adults followed at a more sedate pace.
"Open the one from me and Pop first!" Fili demanded, handing him a large rectangular package wrapped in shiny blue paper with a white bow.
Kili tore into it without any further prompting. "Wow," he said in awe. It was a science experiment kit. "This is amazing!"
Fili beamed. "I knew you'd like it."
"Ours next!" Ori cried.
Kili nodded, setting the science kit aside reverently and grabbing the next package. He ripped open the paper. It was a box set of The Chronicles of Narnia. Kili had been read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in school last month and had talked Ori's ear off about it. "Ori, thank you so much!" Kili cried earnestly, eager to begin reading the whole series.
He opened the present from Mr. Dori next, and thanked him for the toy stegosaurus. The next three presents were from his dad. Bilbo got him a nice art set, a new Lego set, and a microscope.
The microscope excited him the most. "This is awesome!" he proclaimed, getting up and hugging Bilbo. "Thanks, Dad! Can I use it now?"
"Sure," Bilbo replied laughing.
The rest of the party passed quickly, with Kili, Fili, and Ori amusing themselves by finding different things to look at under Kili's new microscope.
Ori and his dads and grandfather left around four. Fili and Kili grew tired of playing with the microscope shortly after that. They peeked out of Kili's room to see what Thorin and Bilbo were doing and stifled giggles as they caught sight of them kissing through the kitchen door. Fili pulled Kili back into his room before he could give them away.
"I don't understand kissing," Kili said as soon as they were safely in his room.
"What's there to get?" Fili replied with a shrug.
"Why do people like doing it?"
"I don't know," he said. "I guess it feels nice. Like hugging with your mouth. And hugs feel nice."
"Hmmm," Kili hummed, not really satisfied with that comparison. He grinned as he got an idea. "We could find out."
"How?"
"By kissing!"
"Kissing who?" Fili asked in puzzlement.
"Each other," Kili answered with a roll of his eyes. "Just to see how it feels."
Fili considered that for a moment before nodding. "Okay," he agreed.
Kili stepped closer so that their faces were inches apart. He frowned in concentration and leaned forward, puckering his lips as Fili leaned forward and met him halfway. Their lips met for a moment, their noses brushing each other awkwardly before they pulled apart.
Kili scrunched up his face. "That didn't feel like anything," he said.
"Maybe we're supposed to move our lips? And maybe we should tilt our heads a bit?" Fili suggested. "Should we try again?"
Kili nodded and moved forward again. This time, when their lips met, heads tilted to the side, Kili moved his lips against Fili's, mimicking Fili's motions. He pulled away with a gasp at the tingling sensation that created.
"Oh," he said with wide eyes.
"Yeah," Fili muttered. "Guess that's why people like it."
Kili nodded in agreement. "Guess it isn't so gross after all."
He really wanted to kiss Fili again but figured Fili probably wouldn't want to. They already figured out why people liked kissing. Kili reckoned that kissing each other anymore would be more than what brothers usually did.
For a fleeting moment, he wished that he and Fili hadn't promised to be brothers before quickly shaking that thought away. He wouldn't give up being Fili's brother for something as dumb as kissing, even if it did feel nice.
Tbc…
So that was Fili and Kili's first kiss. I hope I handled it well...